Gluten-Free Recipe of the Week

I saw the original recipe for cornmeal waffles on the Jones Dairy Farm website (all their meats are certified gluten-free and I actually cooked with them back in my wheat days). The original recipe included sausage, cheese and hot spices in the cornmeal batter. We found that we preferred just the basic cornmeal waffle, and then topped it in different ways.

Cooked waffle in a toaster makes a good base for ham and cheese open sandwich. Cook onions and peppers together with some meat, sour cream and cheese and use the waffle as a base for a fajita-style flat waffle.

This is a very mild waffle, so if you want spice, add it to your liking. My husband and I even enjoyed it with maple syrup on top served with fried eggs and sausage.

Makes about 6 4-inch Belgian waffles.

Ingredients:

2 eggs or ½ cup (120 ml, 4 fl oz.) gluten-free egg substitute

½ cup (240 ml, 8 fl. oz.) buttermilk (or milk with lemon juice added)

1 tsp. (5 ml) gluten-free baking powder

1/2 tsp. (3 ml) baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)

¼ tsp. xanthan gum

½ cup (2+1/4 oz.) cornmeal (I use Arrowhead Mills gluten-free cornmeal since I think other gluten-free cornmeals are either finer or coarser. Your choice. I think a coarser cornmeal will need more liquid, otherwise it will be too dry.)

Add rest of ingredients and lightly beat to blend. Leave to stand for 1-2 minutes as batter will thicken as it stands. Do not make batter in advance as baking soda activates (starts to bubble and rise) when it is mixed with liquid, then stops working.

Spray waffle iron with gluten-free non-stick spray and cook waffles according to waffle iron directions. My waffle iron cooks in a little over 3 minutes. Go for light golden brown, not dark brown. They are very light and crispy when fresh. New waffle irons need spraying normally with each amount of fresh batter. Often with egg substitute due to lack of fat from no egg yolk, waffles will stick if iron is not sprayed.

Serve immediately or let cool, cover, refrigerate and then toast for breakfast.

Note from Oonagh: You can also make tiny waffles by just putting small spoonfuls of batter onto waffle iron so they can take the place of crostini or croûtes. Crisp in oven when guests arrive and serve with peppadew dip, shrimp and peppadew etc.

Preheat oven to 400° F. Scrub potatoes and bake 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a fork.

While potatoes bake, remove stem and leaves from cauliflower and cut into small florets.

Carefully smash each garlic clove with the side of a chef’s knife or a mallet; remove skins.

In a large bowl, combine cauliflower florets and smashed garlic with 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in oven with potatoes. Bake 30 minutes. Do not turn oven off.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out most of the potato flesh (reserve to make mashed potatoes or use in another recipe) leaving 1/4-inch thick shells. Lightly oil each potato skin, inside and out. Place each, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake 10 minutes. Turn potato skins cut side up and bake 5 minutes.

Place cooked cauliflower and garlic in a blender or food processor with milk beverage. Puree until smooth. Evenly spread cauliflower puree in each potato skin well. Liberally sprinkle with smoked paprika. If making ahead, the potato skins can be covered and chilled at this stage.

When ready to serve, broil the potato skins 2-3 minutes in the oven, or until heated through and lightly browned on top. Sprinkle with chives.

2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, water and roasted red peppers and continue to cook covered over gentle heat for about 10 more minutes. The onions must be really soft or they won’t purée to a smooth sauce.

3. Add thyme, nutmeg, salt and pepper, and paprika. Purée mixture in the pan with an immersion blender. You can also pour the mixture into a blender or food processor, then transfer back to the pot once pureed.

4. Add coconut milk and rum and gently heat until liquid is bubbling gently at the edges.

5. Add mahi mahi, scallops and shrimp. Return soup to a very gentle simmer and cook for about 3 minutes.

6. Turn off heat, add crab and stir well. Allow soup to sit for about 5 minutes until all fish is cooked through but not tough. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve.

Tips & Alternatives:

This recipe is versatile, so swap in your favorite fish or seafood to meet your tastes.

The pureed onion creates a creamy base for this soup. It’s a trick you can apply to other soups and chowders

In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté onions in butter until the onions. Add sugar, brown sugar, rosemary, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until are soft and dark brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 °F.

Spread onions evenly over the crusts, and top with crumbled gorgonzola and rosemary.

For best results use pizza screen. If you do not have a pizza screen, place on lightly greased baking sheet.

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